Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Spirit Airlines wants to charge for customer service

Todd Wright of NBC Miami reports that the same airline that has announced a $45 charge to bring luggage on a flight is at it again. The airline, in an effort to give customers the " absolute lowest possible base fare" has announced that it will begin charging customers for customer service. Unlike a few banks that charge for live customer support via phone, this charge would occur if a customer asks for help from a customer service representative at the airport. According to a Spirit representative, "This is all part of Spirit’s business model to offer customers the absolute lowest possible base fare and then give customers the purchasing power to choose what they do and don’t want to add on," Spirit released in a statement. "Although we won’t be charging to use the bathroom, because this is a necessity to getting from point A to point B, we are always reviewing a variety of possibilities that would allow us to lower fares by unbundling options from the base fare that are not necessary."

Should customers be charged for customer service simply to get a lower price? We'd like to hear your thoughts.